Ant Lab
Cockroaches Can Jump & Fly?! In slow mo, its AWESOME
updated
Here are the peer-reviewed research papers that are featured in this video:
Smith AA, Harrison JS. 2024 Jumping performance and behavior of the globular springtail Dicyrtomina minuta. Integrative Organismal Biology. doi: 10.1093/iob/obae029
Oliveira FGL, Smith AA. 2024. A morphofunctional study of the jumping apparatus in globular springtails. Arthropod Structure and Development. 79: 101333. doi: 10.1016/j.asd.2024.101333
If some of this video seems familiar, it is! I've been putting out springtail videos as these research projects have been happening in the lab. Here are the older springtail videos, some of which have shown this species and parts of the research before:
youtu.be/HL5tLTkxuOI
youtu.be/MXeSnWY6DNc
youtu.be/Qu01EUeE5PM
00:00 - What's a springtail?
01:52 - takeoff
03:24 - trajectory
04:41 - landing
05:52 - gee whiz, these things are cool
music licensed from soundofpicture.com
Check out Joe Pera on YouTube (links below). Also, have you seen his show "Joe Pera Talks with You"? It's one of the best TV shows ever. Seriously.
Joe's stand up special: youtu.be/9_97zE4GRZk?si=5_ZrXTPTMGZSyk9N
Joe's channel: youtube.com/@UCfBAKxelvdN2XDFBcofx7Dg
00:00 - grapevine beetle
01:15 - oriental beetle
02:15 - Japanese beetle
02:38 - water scavenger beetle
03:48 - picnic beetle
04:17 - jewel beetle
04:59 - tumbling flower beetle
06:36 - tiger beetle
07:13 - clay-colored leaf beetle
08:16 - soldier, longhorn, & checkered beetles
Taxonomic info
Grapevine beetle - Pelidnota punctata
Oriental beetle - Anomala orientalis
Japanese beetle - Popillia japonica
Water scavenger beetle – family Hydrophilidae
Picnic beetle – Glischrochilus fasciatus
Jewel beetle – Dicerca obscura (probably)
Tumbling flower beetle – family Mordellidae
Punctured Tiger Beetle - Cicindelidia punctulate
Clay-colored leaf beetle - Anomoea laticlavia
Two-lined leather-wing (soldier beetle) – Atalantycha bilineata
Flat oak borer (longhorn beetle) – Smodicum cucujiforme
Checkered beetle – family Cleridae
Still images from Matt Bertone and Nicolás Galvez
Tumbling flower beetle SEM image from:
Rueter, M. (1995). Studies on the functional morphology of the jump in tumbling flower beetles (Coleoptera, Mordellidae). Acta Biologica Bendrodis 7, 99-133.
Music licensed from soundofpicture.com
Music licensed from soundofpicture.com
00:00 - why am i filming fleas?!
00:41 - fleas jumping in slomo
01:59 - you can order fleas?!
02:40 - flea eggs hatching!
03:21 - larval locomotion research
04:56 - SEMs of larval fleas
05:39 - how fast do larval fleas go?
06:29 - larval fleas in carpet
06:47 - end, bonus footage
00:00 - Cecropia moth, Hyalophora cecropia - family Saturniidae
01:25 - Plume moth – family Pterophoridae
02:13 - Red-bordered Emerald, Nemoria lixaria – family Geometridae
02:57 - One-spotted Variant, Hypagyrtis unipunctata - family Geometridae
03:31 - Pepper & Salt Geometer or Peppered moth, Biston betularia - family Geometridae
04:47 - Ailanthus Webworm Moth, Atteva aurea - family Attevidae
05:28 - Black-dotted Spragueia Moth, Spragueia onagrus - family Noctuidae
05:52 - The Hebrew, Polygrammate hebraeicum - family Noctuidae
06:17 - White Miller Caddisfly, Nectopsyche sp. - order Trichoptera (not a moth)
06:43 - Arched Hooktip, Drepana arcuata – family Drepanidae
Still image credits:
Cecropia moth caterpillar – Michael Hodge CC BY
Geometrid inchworm – Dr. Matt Bertone Flickr (used with permission)
Peppered moth (white) – Tim Alps Flickr CC BY
Peppered moth (melanic) – Ben Sale Flickr CC BY
Peppered moth (melanic) - Jerzy Strzelecki Wikimedia CC BY
The Hebrew - Dr. Matt Bertone Flickr (used with permission)
Arched Hooktip - Dr. Matt Bertone Flickr (used with permission)
Matt Bertone’s Flickr: flickr.com/photos/76790273@N07
Recommended reading for more about natural selection of the peppered moth:
Cook L. M., Grant B. S., Saccheri I. J. and Mallet J. 2012. Selective bird predation on the peppered moth: the last experiment of Michael Majerus. Biology Letters 8: 609–612. DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2011.1136
Music licensed from soundofpicture.com
I collected the individual in this video in Crossnore, NC in August of 2023. Long time Ant Lab collaborator Dr. Matt Bertone helped me find it and he took the still images you see of it in this video! follow him on X/Twitter @/Bertonemyia
SEM image of sticky pads is from:
Koerner, L., Gorb, S. N., Betz, O. (2012) Adhesive performance of the stick-capture apparatus of rove beetles of the genus Stenus (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae) toward various surfaces. Journal of Insect Physiology 58: 155-163
Image of surface skimming is from:
Lang, C., Seifert, K., Dettner, K. (2012) Skimming behaviour and spreading potential of Stenus species and Dianous coerulescens (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae). Naturwissenschaften 99: 937-947
Music licensed from soundofpicture.com
Non-biting midge - Family – Chironomidae, Chironomus, 6,000fps
Black Onion Fly - Tritoxa flexa, 6,000fps
Bald-faced hornet – Dolichovespula maculata
Braconid wasp – subfamily Braconinae
Tobacco Hornworm Parasitoid - Cotesia congregata
Sawfly – Macrophya sp.
Wood Wasp - Xiphydria maculata
Aulacid wasp – Aulacus sp.
Ichneumonid wasp 1 – Acrotaphus wiltii
Ichneumonid wasp 2 – Trogus sp.
Wingless jumping parasitoid - Lelaps argenticoxa
00:00 - bald-faced hornet
00:32 - Braconid wasp
00:55 - tobacco Hornworm parasitoid
01:48 - sawfly
02:19 - wood wasp
02:39 - Aulacid wasp
03:16 - hamuli
03:39 - Ichneumonid wasps
04:33 - wingless jumping parasitoid
Special thanks to Dr. Matt Bertone for use of his still images and assistance collecting and IDing these species! Check out his photography here: flickr.com/photos/76790273@N07
Thanks also to Michelle Lotker for sharing that parasitized caterpillar, and BugGuide user Skitterbug for uploading those spider pictures with a CC:BY license.
Music licensed from SoundOfPicture.com
I went out to find one of these extraordinary ectoparasitic insects with my museum colleague, Lisa Gatens (naturalsciences.org/staff/lisa-gatens), as she was trapping and banding bats in the North Carolina's Coastal Plain. The bat fly in this video was collected off of a Southeastern myotis (Myotis austroriparius) bat and is likely the bat fly species Basilia boardmani within the Nycteribiidae family of flies (will update if I get a confirmed species ID).
Music from soundofpicture.com
Special thanks to Matt Bertone for his still photography and help with specimen identification. Follow him here: twitter.com/Bertonemyia
00:00 - house fly
00:26 - cheese fly
01:12 - blow fly
01:33 - robber fly
01:54 - thick-headed fly
02:15 - crane fly
02:35 - non-biting midge
02:55 - gall midge
03:37 - hover fly
04:04 - soldier fly
04:22 - fungus gnat
04:44 - dark-winged fungus gnat
05:10 - lauxaniid fly
05:26 - picture-winged fly
05:46 - black onion Fly
Scientific names & frames per second captured:
House fly – Musca domestica, 8,000fps
Stink fly or cheese fly - Coenomyia ferruginea, 6,000fps
Blow fly – Lucilia sp., 6,000fps
Robber fly – Cerotainia macrocera, 6,000fps
Thick-headed fly – Zodion sp., 3,200fps
Crane fly - Tipula sp., 6,000fps
Non-biting midge - Family – Chironomidae, Chironomus, 6,000fps
Gall Midge - Family Cecidomyiidae, 6,000fps
Gall midge larva – Camptomyia sp., 6,000fps
Hover fly – Family – Syrphidae: Syrphinae, 6,000fps
Yellow soldier fly/ compost fly – Ptecticus trivittatus, 6,000fps
Fungus gnat, Mycetophilidae, 6,000fps
Dark-winged Fungus Gnat - Odontosciara nigra, 4,000fps
Lauxaniid fly – Minettia sp., 6,000fps
Picture-winged fly – Pseudotephritis vau, 6,000fps
Black Onion Fly - Tritoxa flexa, 6,000fps
Music by soundofpicture.com
Follow Michelle here: twitter.com/mkirchner_ants
Music by soundofpicture
Check out the original research paper here: doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2211283119
https://research.gatech.edu/secret-skillful-skydiving-wingless-springtails
Thanks to the Bhamla Lab at Georgia Tech: https://bhamla.gatech.edu/
and to the first author of this research Dr. Victor Ortega-Jimenez at University of Maine: https://sbe.umaine.edu/victor-ortega-jimenez/
Music by SoundofPicture.com
00:00 - Shore earwig - Labidura riparia
01:47 - Tree cricket – Oecanthus sp.
02:12 - Northern Caddisfly – family Limnephilidae
02:39 - Giant Casemaker Caddisfly – family Phryganeidae
03:00 - Oak Treehopper - Platycotis vittate
03:15 - green Treehopper - Archasia belfragei
04:05 - wheel bug - Arilus cristatus
04:47 - Hairy-eyed Crane Fly – Pedicia sp.
05:25 - Yellow-collared Scape Moth - Cisseps fulvicollis
05:59 - Roadside Sallow Moth - Metaxaglaea viatical
06:33 - Brachonid wasp – subfamily Cheloninae
Diagram of earwig wing folding is modified from:
Haas, Gorb, & Wootton. 2000. Elastic joints in dermapteran hind wings: materials and wing folding. Arthropod Structure & Development, 29: 2, 137-146.
Music licensed from soundofpicture.com
Follow Derek here: twitter.com/derekhennen
& here: twitter.com/DearMillipede
Check out his "Millipedes of Ohio Field Guide": ohiodnr.gov/static/documents/wildlife/backyard-wildlife/Millipedes+of+Ohio+Pub+5527.pdf
Photo of Dr. Rowland Shelly by Melissa McGaw from the article “Dr. Millipede” which was published in Wildlfie in North Carolina, May 1996 issue.
Music licensed from soundofpicture.com
Playback rate on these sequences is varied throughout the video.
Still images of banded tussock moth & larviform glowworm beetle by Matt Bertone: flickr.com/photos/76790273@N07
twitter.com/bertonemyia
Featuring:
00:00 - virgin tiger moth
01:00 - Clymene moth
01:26 - banded tussock moth
01:55 - Luna moth
02:16 - Polyphemus moth
02:57 - waved sphinx moth
03:29 - small-eyed sphinx moth
04:01 - glowworm beetle
04:53 - giant diving beetle
05:41 - longhorn alder borer beetle
06:09 - flower longhorn beetle
06:32 - long-necked ground beetle
Taxonomic IDs
- virgin tiger moth, Apantesis virgo
- Clymene moth, Haploa clymene
- banded tussock moth, Halysdiota tessellaris
- Luna moth, Actias luna
- Polyphemus moth, Antheraea polyphemus
- waved sphinx, Ceratomia undulosa
- small-eyed sphinx, Paonias mypos
- glowworm beetle, Phengodes sp.
- giant diving beetle, Cybister sp.
- Alder borer, Saperda obliqua
- Flower Longhorn Beetle, Judolia cordifera
- Long-necked ground beetle, Colliuris sp.
Music licensed from soundofpicture.com
Featured snapping shrimp species: Alpheus heterochaelis
Featured mantis shrimp species: Gonodactylaceus falcatus
See more about mantis shrimp research here: youtu.be/kmTVIL0wv94
These organisms were filmed in the Patek Lab at Duke University. Read more about their research here and connect with them here:
https://pateklab.biology.duke.edu/
twitter.com/patek_lab
Music licensed from soundofpicture.com
Read more about Jacob's larval mantis shrimp research here:
doi.org/10.1242/jeb.235465
Follow him here:
twitter.com/_JacobSHarrison
Read more about Prof. S.N. Patek's lab and research here:
https://pateklab.biology.duke.edu/
Read more about Prof. Megan Porter's research here:
https://manoa.hawaii.edu/biology/people/megan-porter
Peacock mantis shrimp footage via CC Flickr: flickr.com/photos/jphotos
Music licensed from soundofpicture.com
Check out the other Ant Lab cockroach video, about how adult roaches jump here: youtu.be/bnPWU-mqGL8
Thanks to Prof. Coby Schal & Rick Rick Santangelo for supplying the roaches! Thanks to Nicolás Galvez for assistance on this project.
Music licensed from soundofpicture.com
The elongate-bodied/slender springtail (family: Entomobryidae) in the beginning and throughout the video is (probably) in the genus Homidia. The globular springtail (family: Dicyrtomidae) is (probably) in the genus Dicyrtomina. But, the specimens need to be evaluated by a taxonomic expert for an accurate species ID.
Thanks to vision research for letting me demo this camera: phantomhighspeed.com/products/cameras/tmx/7510
Check out the other 2 springtail research videos on this channel:
youtu.be/MXeSnWY6DNc
youtu.be/Qu01EUeE5PM
Music licensed from soundofpicture.com